Facebook Discipleship: Your Church’s Digital Front Porch

For many churches, Facebook has quietly become the new bulletin board.

• Pictures from the children’s play.

• Weather updates.

• Occasional reminders about upcoming events.

These are good things to post about, but they are not the whole story.

Whether we intend it or not, our church’s Facebook page is already shaping what our people notice, what they engage with, and what they value. That makes it more than a communication tool. It makes it a discipleship space.

Your church’s Facebook page is one of the few places where you already have your people’s attention. They’re scrolling anyway. So how can we be better stewards of this media tool?

One of the simplest ways is also one of the most overlooked: helping your people discover what’s already available to them through the Free Will Baptist National Office (NAFWB.org).

Your People Don’t Know What They Don’t Know

Most Free Will Baptist church members are grateful for the denomination they belong to, but many are only vaguely aware of what the National Office actually provides.

We don’t run national ad campaigns.
We depend on word of mouth.
We depend on you.

When churches don’t point people to these resources:

• Members miss tools designed to help them grow spiritually.

• Leaders reinvent the wheel.

• Churches feel isolated when help is already available.

• The connectional strength of our denomination stays invisible.

Your Facebook page can quietly fix that.

A single post—done well—can introduce someone to:

• Biblical resources they didn’t know existed

• Leadership training they didn’t know was accessible

• Help they didn’t know about

“Facebook Discipleship” and it costs you almost nothing.

Think of Facebook as a Front Porch

A front porch is an invitation to get acquainted.

Instead of asking, “What do we need to announce this week?” try asking:

• What would help our people this week?

• What resource could encourage someone who’s struggling?

• What tool could strengthen leaders or volunteers?

• What might help someone explain their faith better?

The Free Will Baptist National Office website is full of answers to those questions.

Here are a few practical, low-effort ways to start.

Simple Ways to Use National Office Resources on Facebook

1. Create a Simple Meme That Informs and Invites

You don’t need a graphic designer.

Example:

“Did you know Free Will Baptists have a catechism designed to help families and churches teach core beliefs?”
👉 Link to the Free Will Baptist Catechism

Or:

“Leadership can be lonely—but it doesn’t have to be.”
👉 Link to The Shepherding Initiative or Here to Help

Memes catch attention. Links provide substance. Also, see the 200+ Graphics ready to use. You can get free images from Pixabay, but they are not necessary.

2. Use a Resource as the Starting Point for a Short Post

You don’t have to explain everything. Just open the door.

Example:

Many churches are asking how to better connect with their communities. The Free Will Baptist National Office has a tool designed to help churches understand who they’re trying to reach.
👉 Know Your Community

That’s it. No sermon required.

3. Share “If This Is You…” Posts

These are especially effective.

• If you’re new to the faith… → Do You Know Jesus?

• If you’re looking for encouragement during the week… → ONE Magazine

• If you enjoy thoughtful conversations about faith and leadership… → Better Together Podcast

People recognize themselves faster than they respond to announcements.

4. Highlight Help That Exists for Hard Seasons

Some of the most valuable National Office resources are for difficult moments—and those are exactly the moments when people are scrolling late at night.

Consider occasionally sharing:

• Churches Without a Pastor

• First (Emotional) Aid Resources

• The Hope Initiative

• Here to Help

• A Prayer Journal

You don’t need to explain who needs it. Those who do will know.

5. Normalize Being Connected

Sometimes the most important thing is simply reminding people that we’re not alone.

Posts that point to:

• National Convention

• Leadership Conference

• NAFWB News

• The Together Way

• Church Directory

…quietly reinforce that we belong to something bigger than our local church, and that’s a gift. Make a quick summary of the page and link to it (you can use AI – but check the facts)

Facebook as a front porch

A front porch doesn’t replace the living room, and Facebook will never replace the gathered church. But a front porch does something important: it welcomes, points the way, and invites people to step further in.

Used intentionally, your church’s Facebook page can do the same. It can introduce your people to resources they didn’t know existed, remind them they are not alone, and quietly connect them to help, truth, and growth already available through the Free Will Baptist family.

You don’t need to post more. You simply need to open the front porch light and invite your people to see what’s there. One intentional, resource-based post a week can quietly disciple your people all year long.

The Free Will Baptist National Office has already done a lot of the hard work. Your role is simply to help your people discover it.